Upholstering furniture



D. T OWEN Feb. 7, 1939.

UPHOLSTERING FURNITURE Filed June '22, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet i INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Feb. 7, 1939.

D. T. OWEN UPHOLSTERING FURNITURE Filed June 22, 1937 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE David T. Owen, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to David T. Owen, J12, Cleveland, Ohio 7 Application June 22 7 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in upholstering furniture, and more particularly chairs, davenports and the like in which curved frames and cushioning springs are employed.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide means for preventing the distortion of the cushioning springs during upholstering operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a preformed relatively stiff flexible reinforcing hollow body which will conform to the curved shape of a chair frame or the like to be upholstered and thus obviate the necessity for using skilled workers and much expensive stuffing material.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood as the specification is considered in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which:

Figure l is a perspective View of an upholstered chair partly broken away to show the application of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a section through a chair embodying the present invention;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the upholstery form of Figure 2 provided with an auxiliary bracing member;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the upholstery form shown in Figure l, 2 and 3;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective View of the upholstery formshown in Figure 4;

Figure '7 is a front elevation of the brace member employed in the modified upholstery form shown in Figure 9;

Figure 8 is an end view of Figure 7; and

Figures 9 and 10 are perspective views of modified forms of my invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings I denotes a chair having a curved substantially U-shaped back frame 2 of conventional form. andconstruction. Secured to the inner face of the back frame 2 are a plurality of wide interwoven fabric strips or webbing 3 which serve as a sup-.

1 port for the inner ends of cushion coil springs 4, the outer ends of the springs bearing against a covering of burlap 5. The outer face of the frame 2 is covered by a fabric backing member or sheet 6, preferably of more expensive material than ,the webbing 3 is made;

The springs 4 are tied together and to the curved top and curved side portions l and 8 respectively of the frame 2 and also to the straight cross piece 9 by means of longitudinal'and transjverse cords H3, in a'conventional manner. As previously stated the forward ends of the springs are covered by a sheet or layer ll of burlap, and upon the layer II is a layer l2 of stuffing such as cotton, or the like. A finished upholstering layer [3 of fabric is placed over the cotton and 1937, Serial No. 149,739

burlap layers and the whole secured to the frame.

Heretofore it has been the practice to produce the desired curvature, by filling the space between burlap II and the finished upholstering fabric layer l3, with toe moss or fiber and the like. However, workmen found it very difiicult to produce symmetrical lines, particularly on a border such as the frame 2, and in consequence highly paid skilled workmen are required to do the work. Moreover, the placing and shaping of the stuffing material according to this method has made it practically impossible to avoid spring distortion, due to the fact that when the stuffing material was placed on top of the burlap II, and pressed into place during the stretching and attachment of the outer finishing layer I3, the cords It] were forced inwardly and the springs 4 drawn downwardly and out of shape.

According to the present invention I provide a hollow form l4, preferably of relatively stiff but flexible card or paste board, which is suitably secured to the top edge of the frame 2. This form is made from a blank not shown, in which uniformly spaced parallel slots it are cut thus forming a plurality of tongues l 1, extending from the upper uncut edge or body portion l8 thereof. The tongues are bent as at l9 and 23 to form the inwardly and downwardly extending end attachment and supporting portions 21 and 22 respectively, and the forward edge of the body I8 of the blank as well as that portion of the tongues [1 extending between the body and the bend H! are curved outwardly and downwardly to form arcuate portions 23. The extremities of the tongues are finally bent rearwar-dly, as at 24, to provide attachment flanges 25 which engage and underlie the rear or outer edge of the body portion Hi.

When the hollow form is in place the flanges 25 engage the outer edge of the curved top and side portions of the frame 2, and the portions 22 of the tongues engage the front face thereof. Tacks 5 passing through the body portion l8 and the flanges 25 securely fasten these parts together and to the frame 2, the slots l6, permitting of the hollow form accommodating itself or being bent by the upholsterer to any radius or curvature of frame. The forms M are preferably preformed by the manufacturer, as best shown in Figure 4, but for convenience in shipping they may be formed from blanks by the up-' holsterer, the blanks being scored at I9, 20 and 2am facilitate this operation.

In practice the webbing 3 is first secured to' the frame by tacks 26 andthe hollow form I4 is then tacked in place, as indicated in Figure 3. The'springs 4 are now assembled and the cords l9 are stretched and attached to the rear of the frame 2, by means of tacks 21, it being noted hollow body hi, in addition to simplifying the that the ends of both the longitudinally and transversely extending cords pass over the outer edge of the frame. It should also be noted that cords It! pass over the curved or arcuate portions 23 of the tongues i1 and thence around the edge of the frame to the back thereof.

After the cords H] are stretched and secured to the frame thus securely holding the springs in place and against distortion, the burlap H is stretched over the springs G, cords l0 and the hollow frame and its edges secured to the back of the frame as by tacking or the like. As the hollow body l4 bears all the stress exerted by or upon the cords l0 and burlap layer l l the springs are not pulled out of true when the cords and burlap are stretched over the hollow body in applying or assembling these parts. Furthermore when the intermediate layer of cotton I2 is superposed on the burlap H and the upholstering layer of fabric I3 is stretched, and its edges tacked to the frame in an obvious manner, the springs will remain undistorted, as distinguished from prior constructions, in which the ends of the spring cords do not pass over a supporting member such as hollow body M. The use of upholstering operation by preforming the curved border, effects great saving in the cost of labor and makes unnecessary the use of large quantities of stuffing material.

In the modification illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 9 the hollow body or preforming member M is made in two parts. Thus, a member 28 of substantially U-shape and formed of cardboard or the like is bent at 42 to provide a main body portion 29 and arms or branches 3i]. Integral wings 3! projecting from the rear side edges of the arms 3i! are secured to the frame by tacks or similar fasteners 32. A curved arcuate member 33 secured to the outer edge of the frame 2 by tacks 34, or other suitable fasteners, bears against the forward curved edge 43 of the branches 3% and is supported thereby. This member 33 functions in the same manner as the arcuate part 23 of the preferred hollow body member M, and is slotted at intervals as at 35 to provide the tongues 4! and to permit of the hollow two part form accommodating itself to any radius or curvature of frame. It will be understood that there will be one unit 28 for each tongue M.

In some instances particularly where the arcuate member is used on small chairs and the like, and consequently of small dimensions, the reinforcing member 28 may be omitted.

A further modification is shown in. Figure of the drawings. In this form a curved arcuate preferably cardboard member 36 has its outer edge tacked to the outer edge of the frame 2 as at 3?. At intervals throughout the length of the member 36, the material is cut away along three sides to provide hinged supporting and bracing portions 38, which are swung inwardly or rearwardly through the openings 38 thus formed until their free side edges All) engage the front face of the frame. These hinged members or portions 7 38 when swung rearwardly or inwardly have the same radius as the radius of the border and brace the arcuate member $6 in an obvious manner. They also obviate the necessity of using a separate part such as the V-shaped member 28 of Figure 9 modification. V

In Figure 3 a centrally disposed supporting member or web 44 is employed to support the curved portion 23 of the hollow form l4. Thus lone end of the web 44 seats at the ,point of juncture between the portions 2| and 22 of the form, and the other end is formed with an offset 45 which bears against the under sideof the curved portion 23 and supports the latter. This additional supporting web is particularly desirable with high moldings or forms.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A form for the back frames of overstuffed chairs and the like, comprising two straight walls and a curved wall and slots in one straight wall and the curved wall, and means for securing said curved Wall to one of said straight walls and to the back frame.

2. A form for curved back frames, comprising a member made from a sheet of relatively stiff material slotted longitudinally to provide a plurality of tongues, said tongues being curved forwardly and downwardly forming arcuate portions, and bent inwardly and thence upwardly to provide straight brace portions and straight attachment portions, said attachment portions having flanges underlying the rear edge of the said sheet and means for securing said flanges and said rear edge portion to the outer edge of the back frame.

3. A form for the back frames of chairs and the like, comprising a slotted sheet of relatively stiff flexible material, said sheet having curved outwardly and downwardly and inwardly and thence upwardly bent portions providing a hollow body said slots extending transversely of the inwardly and upwardly bent portions, the upper inner edge of said sheet and said upwardly bent portions being adapted to be secured to a chair frame.

4. A form for overstuffed chair backs, comprising a sheet having a body portion and plurality of spaced tongues, said body portion and a portion of said tongues being arcuately curved, said tongues having upwardly extending straight attachment portions terminating in attachment flanges, and integral straight supporting and. reinforcing portions between said arcuate portions and said attachment portions.

5. A form for overstuffed chair backs, comprising a sheet having a body portion and plurality of spaced tongues, said body portion and a portion of said tongues being arcuately curved, said tongues having upwardly extending straight attachment portions terminating in attachment flanges, and integral straight supporting and reinforcing portions between said arcuate portions and said attachment portions, the said body portion and the flanges being in superposed relation to each other.

6. An elongated unitary preformed flexible form for the border of an upholstered frame, said form having a curved portion, means for attaching one end of the curved. portion to the frame, means adapting said form to be bent to arcuate shape and a web brace support for the other end of said curved portion.

7. A premolded form having an elongated unitary body provided with a transversely curved portion adapted to be attached at one end to an upholstered back frame, said form being flexible to permit of the same being'bent to arcuate form, and web members extending betweenthe frame and curved portion for supporting said curved portion. f

DAVID T. OWEN. 

